... I know we've seen many posts about the "ultimate" finish for particular types of paint and paint colours, but I wonder what your favourite combinations of product are and what makes that combination special for you. I'll start.

Single stage 'Cirrus White':This paint is really hard and tends to need a polish more often than black, which I can get away with light polishes and glazes more often with.

Car-Lack68 NSC ... Car-Lack68 LLS ... Collinite 476S/915/845 - no explanation needed for this one. A great finish. Fun to apply and lasts ages 476S is bright and glossy, 915 with more subltle depth and 845 an almost plastic look suitable for Japanese cars

Autoglym SRP ... Collinite 476S - simple and effective ... it "just works". Collinite 476S is a no-brainer being a fantastic product with unrivalled durability and does not get in the way of the finish left by AG SRP. This is very much my "to go" combination for white - the AG SRP cleanses and polishes, while the Collinite also cleans and leaves an impressive glossiness.

Autoglym SRP bonds and cures instantly. You can apply further products on top straight away afterward buffing without having to wait the hour, or so, often prescribed on detailing forums.

Another perfectly suitable filling AIO is Autosmart Platinum and a for a non-filling AIO with an incredible chemical cleanse, use Car-Lack68 NSC.

Autoglym SRP ... Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze ... Chemical Guys Jetseal 109 - the SRP polishes and fills, the Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze really brings out the gloss and the Chemical Guys Jetseal seems to enhance that shine and provides a strong finish which lasts well. This finish really glows under street lamps. Awesome! Now if I could find just the right wax to finish this off with ... I'd like to try Chemical Guys 50/50 on this finish, or one (or both) of the Dodo Juice whites, but having used Collinite 845 I think that might well be the icing on the cake for this routine.

Having since tried Finish Kare 1000P, I would now perfect this finish with routine with a coat of Finish Kare 1000P and claim this as my second most perfect routine for my white car.

As time has gone by, I am minded to drop this routine out of my favourite combinations list, but the combination of Autoglym SRP and Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze is so good that I will happily leave it in - the glaze adds incredible depth to even white when used over a cleansing AIO or dedicated cleanser. Perfect partners with Autoglym SRP.

Armor All Car Wax Gel/Armor All Hi-Shine Soft Paste Wax - I know I shouldn't, but I really like this product ... more so, since I've found the Hi-Shine Soft Paste Wax. The finish practically glows and is sooooo glossy. The problem is, it seems to produce the shimmering effect by fracturing the light, so reflections are not that clear. Being water soluble, I have made up my own spray wax out of the gel and a QD by diluting it further - both work really well. For a really cheap routine, polish first with Wilkinsons or Asda Car Polish, but steer well clear of Tesco Deep Shine Car Wax (it's awful). What this will do is set off with a glossy polish/sealant which can be topped with the Armor All Hi-Shine Soft Paste Wax and maintained with the homebrew Armor All Car Wax Gel-based QDW While it is a cheap routine, it does show you don't need to spend the earth to get great results. These don't do anything for black, but would work well on light metallics.

It might be more a of flavour of the month than a routine I will return to again and again, but here's another one for Single stage 'Cirrus White':
Duragloss 652, 601 & 105 - my introduction to the world of Duragloss. Their shampoo (the 901) is superb ... nice to use and leaves a lovely sheen. These products are the paint cleanser (652), the pre-bonding agent (601) and the Total Performance Polish (105) products. The result? One of the clearest shines I have seen on white. I would like to try the swirl removing product (671) after the paint cleanser, since the cleanser offers no swirl filling and little removal. I would also like to try the Clear Coat Polish (111) as a final coat, since it is reputed to give a final bling to the Duragloss finish. Maintain with their AquaWax product, which contains many of the same elements as Total Performance Polish, but in a diluted spray form; that, or Chemical Guys Blitz, which will leave a final zing to the finish. The beading is almost as good as with Finish Kare 1000P and if the abrasives in 652 might be too much then a non-abrasive chemical cleanser like Serious Performance Paint Cleanser would be the right product. See below

Serious Performance Paint Cleanser ... Serious Performance Super Sealant ... Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Sealant - My Lord! This is a stunning finish. I am soooo impressed with Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Sealant ... it's almost like my car has a clearcoat ... or has a second one if you already have one This is the brightest, wettest, most three-dimensional and mirror-like finish I have seen on white ... truly something awsome While the Finish Kare 1000P is very much the product that makes this combination, the Serious Performance Paint Cleanser is excellent for bringing out the brightness in the paint.

The maintenance kit for these "perfect" combinations simply has to be Finish Kare 1016 Poly Wash & Wax Concentrate and Sonus Acrylic Glanz for a spritz of crystal clarity.

Single stage 'Black':Car-Lack68 NSC ... Meguiars #7 ... Meguiars #26 (liquid) ... Meguiars #16 - this is my "Meguiars" detail (no kidding ). I start with the Car-Lack product simply because it is the best ... no contest whatsoever for a cleaner polish and follow on with the tried and tested Meguiars Mirror Glaze combination to give a really oil slick wetness and dark, deep shine. The #16 is used for glossiness on top of the darkening liquid wax and does not seem to interfere with the underlying textures - Collinite 845 could easily be used instead and would be arguably easier to apply than #16. The end result is a deep, oil slick, shimmering wet look.

Since finding 3M Show Car Paste Wax, I could suggest the following routine:

Car-Lack68 NSC ... Meguiars #7 ... 3M Show Car Paste Wax - 3M Show Car Paste Wax seems to do the job of BOTH #26 and #16. I call it a "classy gloss" - deep and bright, somehow. The use of #7 underneath give a perfect oily wet looking surface on top of the crisp, cleanness of Car-Lack68 NSC. For clarity and depth, this is quite something

Einszett Waxpolish Soft ... Clearkote Yellow Moose Wax ... Clearkote Carnauba Moose Wax - We're starting to get to the best finish I have yet achieved. I like the way the Einszett Waxpolish Soft works and I use this when I want more of a filling glaze than is offered by Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze. The Clearkote waxes give a real detail to the depth of finish without darkening too much. This is an excellent combination for spring that can be applied quickly and make the most of the new spring light.

Einszett Waxpolish Soft ... Pinnacle Souveran paste wax (3x coats) - this is the best I have seen on our black car. After one coat it looks good (leave it a few hours), after two it's quite something and after three it breathtaking. The finish shimmers a lot more than the #7/#26 combo. Where should I go next?

Whatever is said about the above detail, you cannot get away from how good a product Car-Lack68 NSC is. Spend time and get to learn how to use it properly. It's a fantastic product that can be worked hard or not so hard depending on what you want to achieve - just leave it 20-30 minutes to do its magic and infact, you could just leave it there. LOVE IT

Funnily enough, I have found that a discontinued product 'Rude Wax' is actually very close to the Pinnacle Souveran effect

Duragloss 671 ... Autobright Better Wax - Soooo easy ... no polish necessary (unless you need a polish, of course) since Duragloss 671 gives an astonishing finish that is free of surface defects using very light abrasives and possibly some fillers. The result really is a wipe-on and buff-off technique to deliver an almost effortless and flawless result. Follow that up with a darkening buttery wax and you have ... deep, deep paint heaven! Mmmm ... this is a million miles better than the routine with #26 above, but I do have a soft spot for Meguiars #7 and would happily use it instead of Duragloss 671 if the paint was already perfect!

Meguiars #7 ... Chemical Guys Pete's 53 ... Dodo Juice Red Mist - OMG! This is just stunning. Prepare the paint how you like with a finishing polish or a cleanser and then drop an application of Meguiars #7 on. This will really deepen the paint finish and give off a really oil slick black look. When topped with a coat of Chemical Guys Pete's 53 wax, it looks stunning - the gloss comes through and the depth is unaffected. Chemical Guys Pete's 53 wax is soooo easy to apply with a moistened foam applicator and a breeze to remove. Finally, spritz the finish with Dodo Juice Red Mist. If you thought you could not squeeze any more out of the finish, try Dodo Juice Red Mist - it slickens the finish, leaving is so smooth to the touch and seems to product a uniformly clear finish for the eye. Beading is astonishing

It's been a while since I looked at this thread and in the meantime, I've taken up machine polishing. To that end, here's a couple of combinations that are really floating my boat now given than once polished to utter perfection, slight swirling can come back ... how to deal with it and keep it looking perfect:

Britemax #4 ... Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite ... Dodo Juice Supernatural - quite simply, perfect! I adore this routine. The Britemax #4 polish is a very fine polish that can see off light swirling that has crept back in after washing the car. Pre-cleanse with Lime Prime Lite* and apply Dodo Juice's finest wax - Supernatural. Maintain with Supernatural shampoo.

Later on into the life of the wax, I "top up" with Zymöl Field Glaze which I hope to replace with a Dodo Juice liquid wax spray once they get such a product into production. I also like to switch to Sour Power as a wash/wax shampoo after a couple of months to help bring the beading back, assisted by the Zymöl Field Glaze.

* Why not simply use Lime Prime? Well, I have to say I simply do not get on with it on my black - it leaves feathery marring that I have to remove with a pure polish/glaze. Who knows what's going on there. I get the same with Clearkote Red Moose Glaze ... read on ...

Clearkote Vanilla Hand Moose Glaze ... Clearkote Yellow Moose Wax ... Victoria Wax Concours - Lovely! I've not made much of my pleasure of the Victoria Wax waxes, but this little routine seems to work very well. The Clearkote VHMG product can see off light swirling when worked with a German applicator on the yellow side and followed on with their YMW leaves a surface clean and still. Still? Yes, like a mill pond. Simply apply a couple of coats of Victoria Wax Concours for a deep DEEP look that puts the shimmer back. Staggering

For more depth, the addition of Clearkote Red Moose Glaze instead of the Clearkote Yellow Moose wax would do ... and for more gloss, a final coat of Victoria Wax Collectors Wax would be perfect. Some combination of these products is my ideal for springtime, to renovate the paintwork, plastics and rubber after a hard winter.

Clearcoated metallic light 'Silver':Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze ... Collinite 915 - after a machine polish, the Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze really brought out the flake. The 915 seemed to pip 476S in the looks department and was more apparent than on black, surprisingly

... following on from a machine polish, maintaining this colour is so pleasant with:

Clearkote Vanilla Hand Moose Glaze ... 3M Show Car Paste Wax - the strong petrochemicals and the light abrasives in the Clearkote glaze cleanse off dirt and let the flake out beautifully. Simply top with 3M Show Car Paste Wax - I call this a "classy gloss"

Now I have more time my previous combination which also performed really well on my black paint was:

Carlack NSC ... Megs NXT ... Dodo Juice Purple Haze (x2 coats) Left an amazing finish, the masking properties of the NXT really helped cover any minor blemishes in the paint while the whole combination gave me some excellent reflection photographs. However the NSC can take a fair amount of elbow grease to buff off sometimes, worth it though!

Good entry arekkusu - I started this post because of how many times I repeat two or three of these combinations every time someone says, "what's best for my XYZ" ... it would be nice to point them at this thread, rather than having to re-write it every time, or worse, simply say "go search" which is not a very useful reply but one you see a lot of other forum boards and it would be good not to have the kind of culture turn up here.

I think it would also be useful to put a link after any favourite combinations to a post of photographs showing off the work. I reckon we all post up photographs showing off a good day, so I'm just going to flick through some of my such posts and link them to the combinations above ...

It would also be good to review our entries every so often, to check that we have not changed our favourite combinations over time with new products.

How would you guys rate it them with white (black car, white stripes)?

...also will try the silver at some point as my latest acquisition is that colour - although need to work on some of the blemishes first!

Car-Lack68 NSC is great, regardless. What the #7 #26 combo does for black is deepen and darken the finish. It is not glossy afterwards, compared to many finishes but the #16 (or Collinite 476S) sorts that out. On white, #16 leaves a lovely glossy finish, so Car-Lack (or other polish) the whole car, apply the Meguiars #7 #26 combo to the black parts and then the paste wax all over.

With #21, that gives a similar effect to #26 but not as dark and a little more glossy. It is reputed to be more durable, too, so became a cold(er) weather combo that I liked.

exotic detail wrote:

arclight - I think Lime Prime Lite is much better than Megs #7 on black, Although if you already have #7 then dont go rushing to get some LPL

I have yet to try LPL. If I find it works better, I'll revisit my post above and correct it

arekkusu wrote:

Carlack NSC ... Megs NXT ... Dodo Juice Purple Haze (x2 coats) Left an amazing finish, the masking properties of the NXT really helped cover any minor blemishes in the paint while the whole combination gave me some excellent reflection photographs. However the NSC can take a fair amount of elbow grease to buff off sometimes, worth it though!

I had problems with both Meguiars NXT Tech Wax and Autoglym Ultra Deep Shine - shadowing and smearing. On top of a cured Car-Lack68 NSC, I found both an absolute breeze to use. Top that with a wax that is sympathetic to the car colour and you have a great finish on dark cars. With Car-Lack68 NSC, I find it a doddle to use - work it in as hard as you like/need with a terry/microfibre applicator and work it until it goes clear (don't just wipe it over and wipe off) ... leave it 30 minutes before buffing clean.

ST guy wrote:

At the minute with the weather turning my favourite combo is...

Car-Lack68 NSCCar-Lack68 LLSCollinite 476SCG Pete's 53

Gives great results and lasts at least until the new year

That was my winter favourite last year, minus the final coat of Pete's ... I presume that was added for visual reasons? This year I'm pretty much sticking to my cleanse and Collinite routine on the black car, but Mother's Cleaner Wax and Collinite 915 and sticking with Duragloss on my white car - if the finish diminishes on the white car, Bilt Hamber Auto-Balm will be straight on.

Keep 'em coming, guys Remember, this is favourite combinations, so be a little colourful about why you like that combination more than any other - what does it do for your car that other combinations do not?

Serious Performance Paint Cleanser ... Serious Performance Super Sealant ... Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Sealant - My Lord! This is a stunning finish. I am soooo impressed with Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Sealant ... it's almost like my car has a clearcoat ... or has a second one if you already have one This is the brightest, wettest, most three-dimensional and mirror-like finish I have seen on white ... truly something awsome

Poorboy's World Black Hole ... Autobright Better Wax - Soooo easy ... no polish necessary (unless you need a polish, of course) since Poorboy's World Black Hole gives a light polish and a heavy swirl fill. Follow that up with a darkening buttery wax and you have ... deep, deep paint heaven! Mmmm ... this is easily as good as the routine with #26 above, but a lot easier to achieve!

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